Construction of railway-tracks



(N0 Model.)

C. L. GIBBO-N.

CONSTRUCTION 0F RAILWAY TRACKS.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

CATHERINE L. GIBBON, OF ALBANY, NEV YORK.

CONSTRUCTION OF RAILWAY-TRACKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 429,128, dated June 3, 1890. Application filed Apri1l6,`1888. Renewed November 8, 1889x Serial No. 329,615. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, CATHERINE L. GrBBoN, of the city and county of Albany, in the State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in the Con struction of Railway-'lracks, of which t-he following is a speciication.

My invention relates to improvements in the construction of railway-tracks; and the objects of my invention are, first, to render such structures moreenduring by substituting metal for wood in all parts commonly7 made of the latter material; second, to provide means for constructing metallic railwaytracks in a simple and substantial manner, and, third, to afford facilities for the eXpansion and contraction of the track-rails without rendering them liable to creep or spread. These objects I attain by the means illustrated in the drawings, which are herein referred to and form part of this specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of a grooved railwaytrack containing my improvements. Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of a portion of my track-rail and one of the shoes or seats therefor. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the same at the line X X. Fig. 4 is an enlarged side elevation of a portion of my track-rail and railstiitener, and Fig. 5 is a vertical section of the sanne at the line Y Y.

As represented in the drawings, A designates the railway-tracks which constitute my invention, and which are composed of the track-rails B and C, shoes or seats D, stifteners E, and cross-ties F.

The track-rail B is made with a horizontal ilange 1, having on one edge of its upper face a longitudinal rib Zand at the opposite edge a longitudinal head 3. On the under side of said rail, directly under the head 3, there is a pendent longitudinal flange 4, of the same length of the section of rail on which it is formed.

vThe track-rail C consists of a vertical web 5 and a head 6. The latter has on its under side a longitudinal groove, which ts over the rib 2 when the rails B and O are fixed together, as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, to form a continuous track-rail, with a groove 7 formed between the heads 3 and 6 for the I'langes of the carwheels to run in.

The shoe or seat D is preferably made of cast metal in the form of an open-ended box, with deep grooves for receiving the flange 4 and web 5, as shown in Fig. 8, and in Order to secure a closer fit for the web 5 in the groove appropriated to it in said shoe a keyway is formed at the outer side of said groove for the purpose of receiving a key 8, which, when driven into place, will irmly bind said web in the groove of the shoe. Said shoe is provided with transverse key-slots for receiving the keys 9, which pass through corresponding slots in the flange 4 and web 5 of the'rails B and C, to secure said rails together and fasten them in place iu said shoe. The latter is also provided with a bifurcated lug 10, into which the cross-tie F is fitted to engage, as hereinafter set forth.

The rail-stiffener E is made of cast metal in the form of an openended box of less length than the shoe D, and is provided with parallel grooves for receiving the flange 4 and web 5 of the track-rails. Said stiffener is provided wit-h keyways for receiving the key 11, which when driven into its place securely binds the web 5 in place. A transverse key slot is formed in said stiifener for receiving a key 12, that passes through the sides of said stiilener, flange 4, and web 5, and clamps the track-rails B and C securely to the upper face of the stiffener. The latter is also provided with a bifurcated lug 13 for receiving a crosstie F.

The cross-tie F is made of a bar of malleable metal, and is of sufficient length'to extend across the track and pass through both sides of oppositely-arranged shoes D, and in like manner oppositely-arranged stiffeners E, said shoes and stiffeners being provided with slots which range in line with the grooves formed in their respective lugs.. Said cross-tie is provided at each end with holes for receiving the cross-pins 14 and 15, the first of which bears against the outer sides of the shoe (or stiffener) and the other passing through the upper or bifurcated part of the lugs formed thereon. By this manner of arranging the cross-ties the tracks are securely held from spreading apart to destroy the proper gage, and from rocking, either toward or from each other, to destroy the proper level of the tracks.

The track-rails B and C are laid, the rst IOO below the other, so as to break joints, as shown in Fig. l, at the end of cach length of rail.

The mode of laying this track is as follows: The shoes E and stifteners F are set at the required distances apart in both directions in trenches formed in the ground for that purpose. 'lhe track-rails B are irst adjusted in place on the top of said shoes and stiiteners, and the track-rails C are fixed in place with the joints between the ends of said rails to break joint with the joints of the rails B. The keys 8 and 12 are then driven into their places to secu re the rails B and C to said seats and stiffeners, after which the cross-ties F are fixed in place in said seats and stilteners, and thereby the track is brought to the required gage. The road-bed is then properly tamped around the dilierent parts which compose the track, and the latter will be in suitable condition for use.

Vhile I have shown my track as constructed for a direct line, it is equally as Well adapted to curves by simply bending the track-rails to the required arcs and locating the openings through said rails so that the erossties can be arranged radially to the curvature of the track.

I claim as my inventionl. A railway-track composed of a primary rail-track having a horizontal scat provided with a longitudinal rib on one edge of its upper side, a longitudinal head at the opposite edge and a pendent longitudinal liange on its under side, and a supplementary trackrail provided With a longitudinal head which overlaps and interlocks with the ribbed edge of the primary track-rail and having a longitudinal vertical web, as and for the purpose herein specified.

2. The combination, with a primary and supplementary track-rail, as herein described, of a rail-seat provided with grooves `for receiving the pendent flange of the primary track-rail and vertical web of the supplelnentary track-rail, and a cross-tie which passes through said rail-seat, pendent flange, and vertical web, as and for the purpose herein specified.

The combination, with a primary and supplementary rail-track, constructed and arranged in relation to each other as herein described, ot' a rail-stifleuer provided with grooves for receiving the pendent flange of said primary track-rail and vertical web of the supplementary track-rail, and a cross-tie which passes through said rail-stillener, pendent flange, and vertical web, as herein specified.

CATHERINE L. GIBBON.

Witnesses:

T. ll. GIBBON, NVM. ll. LOW. 

